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   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen stood before Iowa   
   Democrats over the weekend and blasted his party’s leadership as   
   “spineless” for refusing to endorse Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee   
   for New York City mayor.   
      
   “Many Democratic members of the Senate and the House representing New York   
   have stayed on the sidelines,” Van Hollen said. “That kind of spineless   
   politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get   
   behind him now.”   
      
   It was another jab in an ongoing rift within the party over Mamdani’s   
   campaign. Democratic leaders in Washington and moderate Democrats on the   
   ballot this fall are actively distancing themselves from Mamdani, a 33-   
   year-old self-described democratic socialist, while progressives rally   
   behind him, noting Mamdani’s economic populism and youthful charisma have   
   generated tremendous support from grassroots activists well beyond New   
   York.   
      
   Meanwhile, Republicans, including President Donald Trump, are watching   
   with delight and sometimes piling on, linking Mamdani and his far-left   
   policies to the Democratic brand. That’s been the case in New Jersey and   
   Virginia, the only states holding elections for governor this year, and   
   GOP officials have signaled that the strategy will continue well into next   
   year’s high-stakes midterm elections.   
      
      
   Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani on Sunday,   
   declaring in a New York Times opinion piece that “New York needs leaders   
   who will put aside differences, stand up and fight back against Mr.   
   Trump.”   
      
   Trump responded Monday in a social media post where he inaccurately   
   described Mamdani as a communist and implied federal funding could be   
   withheld from the city if Mamdani is elected.   
      
   “This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York   
   City,” Trump wrote. “Washington will be watching this situation very   
   closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!”   
      
   Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill haven’t endorsed   
   House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has repeatedly declined to endorse   
   Mamdani when asked by reporters, saying, “I choose to make endorsements   
   when I choose to make endorsements.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer   
   said he met with Mamdani last week — but did not endorse him. Both are New   
   Yorkers.   
      
   Schumer and Mamdani worked together on issues in the past, including debt   
   relief for taxi drivers, and have spoken highly of each other. After   
   Mamdani won the Democratic primary, Schumer praised him on social media   
   for running a campaign that connected with New Yorkers.   
      
   The lack of endorsement underscores the political pressure the leaders   
   face, needing to win races not just in Democratic strongholds like New   
   York but also in swing states or places that lean toward Republicans, such   
   as Senate contests next year in North Carolina and Ohio.   
      
   Mamdani has been an outspoken critic of Israel. He called its military   
   campaign in Gaza a “genocide” and said Palestine should exist as “a state   
   with equal rights.” He also has called for tax increases on the wealthy to   
   make life more affordable for everyday New Yorkers through initiatives   
   like free buses.   
      
   The split also has deepened within the New York delegation itself. After   
   Hochul’s endorsement, Rep. Tom Suozzi on Monday said he would not be   
   endorsing Mamdani because he does not agree “with his proposed solutions.”   
   In contrast, swing-district Rep. Pat Ryan endorsed Mamdani on Tuesday: “I   
   know whose side I’m on. I’m with the people. I’m with Zohran.”   
      
   For many progressives, the Democratic establishment’s Mamdani snub has   
   echoes of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ political rise. The independent Vermont   
   senator struggled for decades to earn the support and respect of   
   Democratic leaders, even as his popularity exploded and he emerged as a   
   leading presidential candidate.   
      
   Perhaps that’s why Sanders himself has served as one of Mamdani’s fiercest   
   defenders.   
      
   “I find it hard to understand how the major Democratic leaders in New York   
   State are not supporting the Democratic candidate,” Sanders said last   
   week. “So, we got another fight on our hands, and that is the future of   
   the Democratic Party.”   
      
   National progressive groups have united behind Mamdani, sensing much   
   larger stakes than New York City’s mayoral contest.   
      
   “I can’t overstate how angry grassroots voters are. It’s off the charts on   
   this one,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution,   
   an activist group born of the Sanders movement.   
      
   The debate has spilled into contested primaries ahead of next year’s   
   midterm elections. That includes a Senate contest in Michigan between   
   establishment candidates like Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory   
   McMorrow, and Abdul El-Sayed, who is more of a political outsider.   
      
   “It’s odd to me that if a candidate were to win a Democratic primary that   
   the Democratic party wouldn’t take notes and understand why that person   
   won. And then shift accordingly,” said El-Sayed.   
      
   “Parties exist to funnel the will of the people and I think when you have   
   a growing chasm between leadership in the party and what the people want,   
   that only ever ends up in one way: Either the parties lose elections, or   
   the party moves.”   
      
   How is it playing in looming elections?   
   Republicans are actively fighting to link Democratic candidates to   
   Mamdani.   
      
   In New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli described   
   Mamdani as a sign the “modern Democratic Party has lost its mind.”   
      
   The Republican’s campaign also made a digital ad showing video from   
   Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s interview in which she was asked if she’d   
   back Mamdani’s general election campaign. She said, assuming he’s the   
   nominee, “I assume I will.”   
      
   Ciattarelli has posted the video on social media throughout the campaign,   
   most recently last week.   
      
   Sherrill has disengaged when asked about Mamdani. She had earlier said she   
   would back the eventual Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race   
   but later said she wasn’t wading into the contest and was letting voters   
   there decide the race.   
      
   “As she’s said throughout the campaign, Mikie’s leaving the NYC mayoral   
   race to the voters of New York,” Sherrill campaign spokesperson Carly   
   Jones told The Associated Press.   
      
   Virginia Democratic governor candidate Abigail Spanberger’s team offered   
   almost identical language when asked if she would endorse Mamdani, saying,   
   “Abigail is laser-focused on Virginia.”   
      
   In New York, Mamdani faces former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and   
   incumbent Mayor Eric Adams — both running as independents.   
      
   After Hochul’s endorsement, Mamdani said he was grateful “for her support   
   in unifying our party.”   
      
      
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